Mumbai Food: Celebrate Ramadan with quirky treats at these joints

Sweet milky way
The oppressive heat combined with a fast that lasts for at least 12 hours calls for chilled indulgence. If you enjoy slurpy, milky, sabza-laden falooda, Yaadgar Cold Drink House in Bandra has many variants to choose from. From their popular ice cream and rabdi faloodas to fruit essence-based options including litchi (in the pic below), strawberry, black currant and mango, and other interesting flavours like chocolate and butterscotch, there is something for everyone. Each serving comes topped with a generous helping of dry fruits and rabdi. During Ramadan, they serve malpua in the evenings, and this year, they have also introduced rabdi-jalebi.
COST Rs 50 to Rs 300 AT Gurunanak Road, opposite Bandra station, Bandra West.
Time 10.30 am to 1.30 am CALL 9820786767

Fooling around with falooda
An Indian's favourite ice-cream as we all know is the loved and cherished kulfi. But Yari Road's kulfi-falooda stall owners serve it with loads of love and colour. With plenty options on offer ranging from the simple kulfi-falooda to the exquisite ones donned with rabri (in pic left), malai, colourful syrups, nuts and basil seeds, your sweet tooth is sure to explode.
COST Rs 30 to Rs 60 AT Opposite Claras College of Commerce, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West.
Time 7 pm to 1.30 am

pics/satej shinde and romila padhi

Between breads
We first discovered these delicious buff pavs on a day when our rumbling stomach led us there. Packed between a pav is a small tikki (cutlet) made of ground buff and lentils and spices, giving it a soft yet crunchy texture. The generous topping of onions and mint leaves with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chaat masala balances the heat with a tangy twist. Small, filling and piquant - these buff pavs are perfect for fasting professionals as food on-the-go.
COST Rs 15 AT Shop No. 7, Jubilee Darshan Apartment, Old Fisheries Road, Versova, Andheri West. time 5 pm to 10 pm

Udder-ly delicious
Yaari Zaika is a favourite with locals throughout the year because of its drool-worthy, and yet super-cheap, grub. Half a plate of their meaty biryani is just Rs 60, and their gravies are equally reasonable. But what takes the cake is their buff kheeri, an absolutely delectable, almost cheesy kebab made of the animal's udders. We can safely say that it ranks among our best finds during this Ramadan food trail. And you would only disagree if you aren't gung-ho about the idea of eating offal.
COST R60 for buff kheeri AT 242/D, opposite Jubilee Abad Baug, near D-Mart, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West. time 4 pm to 12 am Call 8452007030

The transformers
Yari Road in Versova takes on a different dimension during Ramadan, with restaurants transforming themselves and setting up stalls selling iftaar food outside. Seekh Paratha Inn is one such eatery, and we try their deliciously greasy chicken seekh kebab roll and mutton nihari. Both get a double thumbs-up.
COST Rs 400 for two approximately AT Seekh Paratha Inn, Mangal Orchid, off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West.
Time 11 am to 1.30 am
CALL 9167619726

Going desi with pancakes
The pancake-like balondis (in the pic above) on the tawa are beckoning us and the light from an idly hanging bulb on top makes it glisten, adding to the allure. These are made out of a sweet flour batter, deep-fried in piping oil and glazed with sugar syrup. In east India, some of us still refer to it as the much-loved malpua. We guess it's safe to say that it was a sweet, sweet surrender.
COST Rs 40 (for two pieces) AT A1 Sandawala stall, Mohammed Ali Road, opposite Minara Masjid, Pydhonie, Mandvi. Time 4 pm to 3.30 am

Sweet mound of surprise
The city's khao galli chefs have a unique take on rice cakes. Sandals (in the pic above) are spongy chunks topped with a creamy layer of malai and garnished with chopped pistachios and raisins. The dessert has a strange but intriguing flavour.
COST Rs 25 to Rs 35 AT A1 Sandalwala stall, Mohammed Ali Road, opposite Minara Masjid, Pydhonie, Mandvi.
Time 4 pm to 3.30 am

Kheema dreams
Not being a mutton-eater, we are sceptical of the kheema, until the tantalising redolence of Persian spices forces us to reconsider. It's cooked to perfection. The unusual use of soy leaves is a pleasant surprise, too! Did someone say foodgasm?
COST Rs 500 (for two people); Rs 180 (mutton kheema)
AT Ideal Restaurant, Near Radio Club, Haji Niyaz Ahmed Azmi Marg, Colaba.
Time 7.30 am to 1 am CALL 22832118

Sugary twist
Have you ever been dumb-struck by the sheer quantity of sweets available and hoped it all came in one? Well, our prayers have been answered in the form of mawa jalebis - a heart-warming combination of the jalebi and the gulab jamun. We tucked in without guilt.
COST Rs 10 (per piece) AT Burhanpur Jalebi Center, Mohammed Ali Road, below Minara Masjid, Pydhonie, Mandvi. Time 4 pm to 3.30 am

A late bird
This haunt is undoubtedly the gastronomical Mecca of the city during Ramadan. The streets are lined with stalls vying with each other for your attention, and the entire place is choc-a-bloc with people from across Mumbai. There are a wealth of options, both sweet and savoury. But we decide upon quail skewered over a charcoal fire (in the pic below), given our interest in off-beat food items. And we are glad that we made that choice.
COST Rs 350 for two quails
AT Mohammed Ali Road, below Minara Masjid, Pydhonie, Mandvi.
Time 4 pm to 3 am

Warming up
There are two milk centres right behind Gulshan-E-Iran. One is Nagori Tea and Milk Centre, which was shut by the time we got there. But another one-two shops away from it, Zee Milk Centre, ensures that we aren't disappointed. The glass of warm milk topped with malai, a Ramadan staple, gives us a fuzzy feeling as it goes down.
COST R20 for one glass of milk AT Beside Gulshan-E-Iran, Musafir Khana Road, Crawford Market, CST area.
Time 9 am to 2 am

A change of perception
We aren't the biggest fans of chicken kheema, but this joint changed our opinion. Gulshan-E-Iran's does a version of the dish that is flavoured with green chillis, and it's exciting enough to alter our perception of minced meat.
COST Rs 80 for chicken kheema AT Gulshan-E-Iran, 15, Musafir Khana Road, Crawford Market, CST area.
Time 7 am to 1.30 am
Cost 22630503

Home deli
Yummyness on call
Why step out in the heat when you can have the best at home? Shalimar, which has been around since 1970, also offers special Ramadan meals for delivery. On offer is the iftar meal box which serves four people and includes mutton samosas, cheese bhuna roll, foil chicken, mutton dopyaza, mutton biryani, phirni and more. They also deliver thaals that serve seven people and include dishes such as mutton biryani and chicken albak.
Call 9967034093
TIME 5 pm to 11 pm
COST Rs 1,400 for box; Rs 2,700 for thaal

Restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani has always been a champion of making local cuisine cool, be it by collaborating with home chefs to serve kheema samosas at his bars or working with ingredients such as Naga chilli and gunpowder masala. So it's a guarantee that iftaar and Eid dinners at his home will have the best of the best.

"I have been visiting these places ever since I can remember. It's almost a part of my DNA during Ramadan. As some of the dishes aren't available all around the year, it's the excitement and anticipation to indulge in them that makes these dishes special," shares Amlani.

Amlani's top three local pics.

Chef's faves
Hamza for kheeri kebabs
TIME 10.30 am onwards
AT Khara Tank Road, Kumbharwada.
CALL 9820466466

Jaffer Bhai's for naan chaap and baida roti
TIME 12 pm to 12 am
LOG ON TO jbdd.co.in for contact details

Tawakkal Sweets for phirni
TIME 10.30 am
AT Khara Tank Road, Bhendi Bazaar.
CALL 23466360

(With inputs from Dhara Vora Sabhnani and Snigdha Hasan)

Also Read: Hyderabad's Haleem a delight only during Ramzan

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates